Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Dai looked around his new house, pain and happiness warring inside him at all that it represented. After finding out that he was going to be a father by one of his best friends, he had had a melt down before pulling himself back together and taking charge of everything.

Misato had moved into his apartment with him, so that neither would be alone and they began a life as expectant parents/roommates, something neither had ever done before. They had converted his study into a bedroom and had worked towards being closer so that this child would have both parents, even if neither were in interested in a relationship.

Finally realizing that the apartment wouldn't be big enough for the three of them, Dai had begun to look from a larger house that he could buy for them. They had finally settled on a three-bedroom house in the center of town. Everything was within walking distance including the market and the park, and yet it was privet with tall trees on three sides and a wall that encircled them with a large gate at the front.

The two-story house had a wrap around porch and large windows with a koi pond in the back. The three bedrooms and a full bath were upstairs and the living and dinning rooms, the kitchen and pantry, and another full bath was down stairs.

At the moment, about fifty shadow clones were running about finishing putting everything in their place, unpacking and decorating the new home for when Misato got out of the hospital.

The stress of the band, combined with what had happened between her and Dai and everything else that had been going on had become to much and she had gone into labor a month early. The doctors had been able to stop it, but they had insisted that she stay there until she had the little one.

She was not happy about that.

Dai visited her everyday, snuck real food in to her, not like the cardboard that the hospital called food, and made sure that everything was taken care of. They had just agreed on the house when she had gone in, so she didn't even know what to expect when they got home.

As the clones began to finish and disperse themselves, he slowly walked up the stairs and down the hall to the second bedroom. Opening the door, he looked around at the light pink walls and the white extra thick carpeting. There was a cherry wood crib standing against the back wall in-between to sets of large windows that let in a ton of light. The crib was decorated in a pink bedspread with flowers on it and the bumper guard had the same design on it. A glider rocking chair sat by the window, a hand knitted purple blanket draped over the back.

There were pictures on the walls, landscapes and flowers right next to the ultrasound pictures. A portrait of Dai and Misato was next to the door to the closet, sadness lurking in the depths of both of their eyes.

The closet and drawers were jammed full of clothes ranging from newborn all the way up to 12 months. The baby shower had been truly terrifying for Dai.

Flashback

Dai stood in the corner of his apartment, shivering as he watched the twenty women and girls giggle and laugh over everything that Misato unwrapped. He had never known that a group of women could be that scary when confront with them. He suddenly had new sympathy for Sasuke for dealing with his fan girls.

"Dai, get over here! I know men aren't supposed to be here for the party, but I want you to help me unwrap some of this!" Misato called from behind the mound of presents still to be unwrapped.

Slowly he made his way around the mob of women and sat next to her on the couch. "Here, you can open this one first." She said and shoved a box in to his hands.

"Ok." He said slowly and began to peel the paper off. Once it was finally unwrapped, he stared in horror at the breast pump kit sitting innocently in his hands.

"Oh! That's great and it's even a double pump with a motor!" she exclaimed happily.

He whimpered quietly before shakily handing it to her gingerly.

End Flashback.

Shuddering slightly at just the memory, he turned from the room and slowly head for his own room, gently closing the door to the nursery behind him.

His own room was a dark forest green with lighter green accents to make it look like you were in a forest. His bed had a deep emerald green bedspread with black pillows and the frame, along with all the other furniture in the room was made out of mahogany. Dropping to the bed, he stared at the ceiling.

"Itachi…" he whispered longingly, visions of long dark hair and dark gray eyes flashing through his mind. As he laid there thinking of the man he loved, thoughts of what he could be thinking flashed through his mind.

"What have you done now?" he whispered to himself then bolted upright. "That's it!" he exclaimed as he rushed over to his desk, which was pushed back against the wall in the corner. Grabbing some paper and a pen, he quickly began writing.

OOOOOOO

"Knock, knock! Anyone home?" Shinji shouted as he stuck his head in the front door of Dai and Misato's new house. Hearing a faint call from upstairs, he climbed the steps, looking around as he did.

Finally finding his bandleader in the last room, he settled on the edge of the desk, which was covered in papers.

"So, what you doing, boss-man?" he asked after a couple of minutes of watching Dai write down lyrics and music notes on sheet after sheet of paper.

"Finishing another song." Dai said as he finally looked up at his guest.

"Another one? That's what, four in the last six months? And how long did this one take you?" Shinji asked in amazement.

"About two hours."

"What?!" Shinji almost fell off the desk in shock. "How the fuck do you do that so fast?!"

With a shrug, Dai turned back to the papers and continued writing furiously. Shaking his head, Shinji settled onto the bed and watched, knowing better than to annoy Dai when he was composing. He was curious about this song, as he had never seen anyone write one as fast as this. It usually took a lot longer, even for a genus like Dai.

Dozing slightly on the bed, he was startled awake as Dai shouted, "Finished!"

"What…?" Shinji asked groggily as he sat up.

"I'm done." Dai said with a grin.

"Can I see it now?" Shinji asked with a huge yawn in the middle.

Silently, Dai handed over the sheets, keeping a copy of the lyrics for himself. Suddenly getting an idea, he jumped up and quickly formed a shadow clone, transforming himself in to his female guise quickly as the male copy picked up his guitar. "You want to here what I think it should sound like?" he asked, bouncing on his toes in excitement.

"Sure." Shinji said as he looked up, starting slightly at the sight of the two of them.

"Ok, it's called, 'What have you done.'" Dai said and began. Shinji sat up and listened attentively, even as his eyes were running over he music.

What have you done now?

Shinji looked up in surprise at the rough, first line, it had practically been shouted, startling in the silence, even though Dai had begun playing his guitar first.

I know I'd better stop trying

You know that there's no denying

I won't show mercy on you now

As the female began singing half way through the line, eyebrow rose.

I know I should stop believing

I know there's no retrieving

It's over now, what have you done?

What have you done now?

I, I've been waiting for someone like you

But now you are slipping away

What have you done now?

Why, why does fate make us suffer?

There's a curse between us, between me and you

Slowly, his other eyebrow joined the first as he saw where this song had come from. It had come from his feelings and what he thought his lover had been through. No one had ever met the man, but the whole group knew what had happened.

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done now?

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done now?

Would you mind if I killed you?

Would you mind if I tried to?

'Cause you have

Turned into my worst enemy

You carry hate that I don't feel

It's over now, what have you done?

The surprise he had felt earlier in the song was replaced by concern. Did Dai really think that his lover would try to kill him?

What have you done now?

I, I've been waiting for someone like you

But now you are slipping away

What have you done now?

Why, why does fate make us suffer?

There's a curse between us, between me and you

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done now?

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done?

What have you done now?

The two voices of his friend meshed almost perfectly, though you could defiantly hear her as her voice was so much higher. His voice blended into it, giving a barely heard harmony.

I will not fall, won't let it go

We will be free when it ends

I, I've been waiting for someone like you

But now you are slipping away

What have you done now?

Why, why does fate make us suffer?

There's a curse between us, between me and you

I've been waiting for someone like you

But now you are slipping away

What have you done now?

Why, why does fate make us suffer?

There's a curse between us, between me and you

As the two Dai's trailed off the last note, Shinji stood up and wrapped both the clone and the real Dai in a giant bear hug.

"What? What's wrong?" Dai asked quietly as he looked at the mutli-colored braid, as it was all he could really see of the guy.

"Do you really think he would come after you, to kill you or something?" Shinji asked quietly, his voice muffled.

"Long before he saved me and we got together, he hunted me like a wolf hunts its prey. He was relentless and I would have died if he had caught me." Dai said somberly.

"How the fuck did you two get together then?!" Shinji shouted as he pushed back from them. He clone disappeared as soon as he was released and Dai transformed back into his own form as he looked at him somberly.

"He found me when I was almost dead and it made him realize some things." Dai said calmly.

Before Shinji could open his mouth, Seto burst into the house and thundered up the stairs. Turning to the open door as the red head burst in, they opened their mouths to ask what was wrong, when he burst out, "You need to haul ass and get to the hospital. Misato is in labor and the baby isn't waiting anymore!"

"WHAT?!" Shinji and Dai chorused in shock.

OOOOOOO

Shinji and Seto were quickly left behind as Dai took to the roofs to get there as fast as he could. Bursting in through the front doors, he raced to the information desk.

"What floor is the maternity ward on? My baby is being born!" he shouted.

The receptionist looked at him in shock for a moment before she said kindly, "It's on the fourth floor. And congra…ulations…" she trailed off as he disappeared from in front of her and the door to the stairs slammed open as he dashed up them.

Panting, he burst out of he stairwell and raced up to the doors that blocked off the ward. Hitting the intercom button, he said, "Hello? Hello? Misato's in labor and I need to get in there!"

"Calm down, sir. Now what?" a calm voice said through the speaker.

"My name is Dai, and Misato is having my baby right now." He said, slightly calmer.

"Well sir, first you need to go register downstairs first. Then we will send a nurse with a wheelchair for her. Once we get her checked out, you will be allowed in to be with her, sir." The woman said, her voice gaining a snotty edge to it.

"No, you bitch. First you will open this door before I tear it down. Misato is already in there." Dai snarled.

"Security, please come to the Maternity ward. We have an intruder." He swore as the bitch from the intercom was suddenly on the loudspeaker. Before he could blink, he was surrounded by four anbu.

"Listen guys, my friend is having my baby right now." He said as calmly as possible.

"Yeah right." One snorted.

"That's right, and if I have to go though you guys to get in there, I will." He growled as they chuckled at him. "Fine, I warned you."

Suddenly, he was a blur, grabbing one and throwing him into the second, both of them slamming into the wall hard enough to make a good sized hole in it and knocking them out in the process. It's hard to know an anbu out unless you take them by surprise, which he defiantly did as they thought he was no more than a civilian.

The final two were more cautious as they began to circle him. "I don't want to hurt you, just get out of my way." He growled as he watched them carefully.

"What do you want with this ward?" one said coldly.

"I told you Misato is in labor and she is having my baby!" Dai shouted angrily.

Motioning for the anbu in the hawk mask to go check out his story, the one in the panther mask kept a close eye on him. A few tense minutes later; hawk was back and nodded at them. "It's true. Sara was just being a bitch again."

Cocking his eyebrow at Hawk, Dai stepped forward and was let in the ward by him as Panther went to check on their compatriots.

Leaving the anbu behind, Dai dashed down the hall following he scent of his roommate that he had gotten so used to over the past few months. Skidding to a stop at the right room, he opened the door and poked his head in.

Seeing the flushed face of Misato, he quickly entered, going to the bed and brushing the hair off her forehead.

"How are you doing?" he asked quietly, only to have her grab his shirt and yank him down until their faces were only millimeters apart.

"How the fuck do you think I feel?" she growled at him. "I'm pushing something the size of a watermelon out the hole the size of a lemon."

Paling and then turning faintly green at the imagery, he said quickly, "Maybe I should just…"

"Don't you even dare think about leaving me here alone to do this. It's your fault that I'm here. So you will be here too or so help me kami, when I get out of here, you will be replacing me in a full body cast. Do you understand me?!" the last two words came out rather high as she was suddenly in he grip of another contraction.

Lunging, she released his shirt and clamped on to his hand, squeezing as the doctor said, "Ok, now push!"

Barring down with all her might, she pushed desperately as she clung to his hand. Next to her Dai was silently screaming as the bones in his hand slowly started to crack at the pressure. His hand was trying to heal, but with the constant pressure, it didn't have a chance.

"Ok, one more big push and this baby will be here!" the doctor said cheerfully as she and everyone else ignored Dai.

With a quiet scream, Misato pushed with all her might before she suddenly felt something give and she felt like a popped balloon. Falling back onto the bed, she gasped weakly as she listened to the nurses began cleaning the baby.

Dai was watching his new daughter when he heard a hushed conversation between the doctor and one of the nurses. "The bleeding isn't stopping." The doctor said quietly.

"What should we do? She's not responding to anything." The nurse whispered back.

"There isn't anything that we can do. I've tried everything. The only way for her to survive was if Tsunade of the Leah was right here in this room right now. I can't do anything else." The doctor said sadly as she drew back from her position and pulled the sheet back over Misato's legs.

"Should we tell her?" the nurse asked, tears in her eyes.

Nodding, the doctor turned to Misato. "Misato, I'm sorry. You ripped so completely, that there isn't anything I can do for you know besides easing the pain." She said gently and Misato nodded weakly.

"I know, I felt something at the end." She whispered then asked, "Can I please hold her?"

"Certainly." The doctor said with a sad smile. She went over to the bassinet that stood in the corner and personally brought the baby over and placed her in Misato's rapidly weakening arms.

Smiling down at the little bundle in her arms, Misato smiled sadly. My little Zoe, I'm sorry I won't get to be there to see all of your firsts. But you need to take care of your daddy. He needs you." Blinking the tears from her eyes, she looked up at Dai, who had tears running down his cheeks unashamedly.

"Dai, I want you to go find him. I want you to be happy and you haven't been since he left. You go and explain and do whatever you can do. He is the best thing that ever happened to you." She said and he looked at her in surprise.

"You want me to go find him? You don't mind?"

"No. I think that the two of you would be the best parents to her in the world. I just pity her first boyfriend. You two will scare him to death." She chuckled then grimaced at the spasm of pain that brought.

"She doesn't have much time left." The doctor murmured lowly and he nodded.

"I promise. I'll take care of everything." He said and she smiled, her eyes closing as she slipped away.

Dai carefully picked up his new daughter out of the slack arms that were still cradling her and brought her to his face. Looking into her bright blue eyes and seeing the faint markings that could be like his own whisker like ones, he smiled sadly. "Don't worry. Daddy is going to take care of everything. You won't have to worry about a thing in your life." He promised before he brushed a kiss on her forehead and brought her down to rest in the cradle of his arms.

OOOOOOO

Hey, I'm sending you this letter to tell you that you just became a grandma. That's right, my baby girl was born today. Her mother didn't survive.

Dai

Tsunade looked at the letter in her hands in shock, tears pooling in her eyes as she reread the brief letter. "Poor, Dai. She whispered.

"What, what's wrong?" Kakashi asked as he entered her office, his team a few steps behind.

"Don't worry about it." She said briskly, wiping her tears away as she looked up at them.

"It's my student." He said firmly, his little orange book forgotten in his hand.

Realizing that he wouldn't leave without something, she said quietly. "He and one of his band mates had a baby, but she died in childbirth."

The book fell from Kakashi's hand in shock as Sasuke and Sakura yelled, "What?!"

"Dai had a baby and the mother didn't survive." She snapped, glaring at them.

"It spawned?" Sasuke growled, as his face grew angry. He was suddenly being thrown right through the door as Tsunade dove over the desk and punched his in the face.

"Sasuke!" Sakura cried, rushing after him.

"Keep your team in line or I will kill him." Tsunade snarled as she turned to Kakashi who nodded quickly.

"I would like to request a leave to go see him." Kakashi said firmly after a minute.

"Denied." She snapped as she rounded her desk to sit behind it once more after righting her chair.

"Why? He was my student. I would like to go see him and make sure he's alright."

"I'm going to go anyway. I'll keep him in line." Jiraiya said from his spot on the windowsill.

"Your not going to take no for answer, are you?" she said after studying the younger of the two men.

"No."

"Fine, but your other students are not going with you. I don't want them anywhere near them." She said in a dangerous voice and both men nodded firmly.

"Agreed." Kakashi said crisply. "When do we leave?" he asked, turning to the other man.

"In two hours. Meet you at the main gate." Jiraiya said and disappeared from the window.

"I want a report whe you get back about him, and I'll give you a letter for him before you leave." She said and he nodded before turning to collect his two students and take Sasuke to the hospital before getting ready for the trip ahead of him.

A/N

Well, here is the next chapter. It's been crazy getting my daughter ready for school, she starts Pre-K next week, and even worse at work. We had the cops out today. (sigh) be happy I got this out and didn't put it off like I was going to.

Shinigami-chan